Dardanelle, Arkansas

Dardanelle is one of the oldest cities in the state of Arkansas. Officially incorporated in 1855, Dardanelle celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005. The area had been settled for years before that, though, first being established as a river town in the mid-18th century. It is Yell County's dual county seat, sharing that title with Danville.

The Treaty of Council Oaks^[7] was signed on June 24, 1823, on what is now North Front Street beneath two huge oak trees (102 feet high and 400–500 years old). Under orders of President James Monroe, U.S. Army Colonel David Brearley and secretary of Arkansas Territory Robert Crittendon met with Black Fox and several Cherokee leaders to determine boundaries. As a result of the treaty, the Cherokees gave up all of their land in Arkansas south of the Arkansas River. One of the trees was destroyed in the early 1990s in a flood, but the other is still standing. The site is now a city park.^[8]

Because of its location on the banks of the Arkansas River, Dardanelle was one of Arkansas's leading towns in the 19th century. Hundreds of barges, steamboats, and other vessels traveled by the town annually. Roughly halfway between the state's two largest cities of Little Rock and Fort Smith, Dardanelle was a transportation and business hub, known as a marketplace for gin, rum, and cotton.^[9]

Dardanelle has a history of being one of the state's leading immigration centers that continues to this day. Vast numbers of Czech and German families, including the Ballouns, Vodrazkas, Staneks, and Pfeiffers, came to the town in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and their impact can still be felt.^[10] As of 2010, Dardanelle has one of the highest percentages of Hispanics in the state, with over 36% of the town's population Hispanic (up from 21% in 2000).^[11]

Merritt Park opened in the late 1990s on the west side of town. It is a large, state-of-the-art park featuring outstanding baseball facilities, a playground, soccer fields, basketball courts, and a walking/jogging trail. The adjacent Dardanelle Community Center opened around the same time, and provides several services for the community.

In the late 19th century, a pontoon bridge between Dardanelle and Russellville replaced ferry service. Spanning 2,208 feet, it was the longest pontoon bridge ever constructed across a moving body of water. The bridge was completely washed out a few times during its nearly 40 years of existence.^{[citation needed]}

The Dardanelle Lock and Dam, constructed in the 1960s as a part of the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System, led to the formation of Lake Dardanelle. It is a source of hydropower and helps regulate river traffic on the Arkansas River. In 2013, it had an operating budget just over $8.9 million.^[12]

During the 2019 Arkansas River floods, a levee just south of Dardanelle near Holla Bend failed and broke at 1:00 am on May 31. Over the next few days, water came perilously close to homes, schools, and businesses in the southern part of Dardanelle, but receded before causing any major damage.^[13]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 sq mi (8.0 km²), all land.

Some of Dardanelle's larger employers include Tyson Foods, Walmart Supercenter, the Dardanelle Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Dardanelle School System, Dardanelle City government, and Chambers Bank, which acquired River Town Bank (formerly the Bank of Dardanelle) in 2019.

Dardanelle is home to the Dardanelle Post-Dispatch. Established in 1853, the newspaper claims to be the oldest weekly newspaper in Arkansas.

• Lake Dardanelle
• Mount Nebo and Mount Nebo State Park
• Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge
• Dana Merritt Park
• Veterans' Memorial Riverfront Park
• Council Oaks Park and Historic Site

The Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad (D&R) is one of few remaining short-line railroads in the state. It connects Dardanelle with its larger neighbor on the north bank of the river. Highways 7, 22, 27, and 28 can be found ending or going through Dardanelle. Dardanelle is halfway between the Buffalo River to the north and Hot Springs to the south on Scenic Byway 7.

• The Lion's Den Golf Course
• In 1924, Dardanelle hosted minor league baseball. The Dardanelle White Sox played as a member of the six-team, Class D level Western Arkansas League. Dardanelle was defeated by the Russellville Miners in the league finals.^[25][26]

• William Dale Archerd (1912–1977), a serial killer who killed at least three people with insulin in Northern California, was born in Dardanelle.^[27]
• Bonnie Brown (1938–2016), a member of the country music group the Browns, was born in Sparkman, Arkansas, but spent most of her adult life in Dardanelle.^[28][29]
• Jim R. Caldwell (born 1936), born in Dardanelle in 1936, was the first Republican to serve in the Arkansas State Senate in the 20th century.
• Johnny Carpenter (1914–2003), film actor, screenwriter, and producer^[30]
• Tom Cotton (born 1977), U.S. senator for Arkansas^[31]
• John Daly (born 1966), golfer, lived in Dardanelle as a child and currently owns a home near there.^[32]
• Gwendolyn Wilson Fowler (1907–1997), an African-American pharmacist, was the first Black woman licensed in Iowa; she was born in Dardanelle.^[33]
• Orval Lee Jaggers (1916–2004), Christian minister, writer, and scholar^[34]
• James Lee Witt (born 1944), former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency^[35]

• True Grit - the setting for this novel is a farm in the Dardanelle area.